L4 | S1 | W2: St Mirren silence Arsenal as Celtic hit the front in Group 1

📰 Week 2 at a glance

Two weeks into the debut season and the Legend of La Rochelle is starting to show its character. The opening week’s six-way logjam in Group 1 has already begun to shake itself loose, a new name has emerged at the top of Group 4, the draws are piling up across Group 3, and Group 2 has its first genuine leader in Southampton. With 28 weeks still to play and every position between 1st and 16th mattering for Season 2, nobody can afford to lose ground this early.

It’s worth keeping in mind what’s at stake in Season 1. There are no cups, no relegation, no traditional promotion race – just four groups of 16, each club playing the other 15 home and away across 30 weeks. Where you finish determines which division you start in next season. Top four per group land in Division 1. Bottom four land in Division 4. Every point counts, every position matters, and it all starts here.

🏆 Group 1 – Celtic pull clear; Manchester United make a statement

Celtic lead Group 1 on six points after two wins, and the manner of this week’s victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers was convincing. Garysean’s side scored three times in the first half-hour – Hartson at 17, Larsson again at 18 and 30 – and Neves could only pull one back for Wolves before half time. A 3-1 win, handled comfortably. After last week’s late winner at Nottingham Forest, Celtic are finding a consistency that the group’s other contenders haven’t yet matched.

The bigger story in Group 1, though, might be Manchester United’s response to a difficult opening week. Jon Dixon’s side were beaten in Week 1 and sat bottom of the group. This week they put three past Walsall without reply – Martial twice (4′, 17′) and Eriksen in between (10′) – all before half time. A 3-0 win that takes them from 14th to 5th. Derek Purvis’s Walsall, who had won convincingly in Week 1, now find themselves in 8th on three points having been put to the sword by a side that woke up fast.

💡 Manchester City’s Ady Lippiatt drew 1-1 with Cork City this week – Torres equalising on 68 minutes after Ibrahimović had put Cork ahead in the 44th. After leading the group in Week 1, City are now second and already being chased. The early six-way tie has thinned out quickly – four clubs are now on four points, and the gap between the top four and the rest will define the group’s season.

Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen got their first win – 2-1 at home to Barnet, Jess (14′) and Miller (44′) doing the damage before Dembele pulled one back in the 78th. A useful result from a side that started with a loss. Aberdeen are now 6th, and there’s a tightly contested group forming around that mid-table cluster. At the other end, Wolverhampton Wanderers have taken just one point from two games and sit 15th – a worrying start for Jamie’s side, who were competitive enough in Week 1 but were brushed aside this week.

⚠️ Southend United are bottom of Group 1 on one point. Steve’s side conceded seven goals in Week 1 and followed it up with a 1-1 draw against Fulham – at least Cascarino got them off the mark in the 2nd minute. But with a goal difference of -2 already and a squad rating that sits below most of the group, the bottom four here is a real possibility if they can’t find some defensive structure.

💙 Group 2 – Southampton lead, but St. Johnstone’s upset changes the picture

Group 2 has two clubs on six points – Southampton and Swansea City – but they got there very differently. Luke Finnegan’s Southampton came from behind against West Bromwich Albion: Kubo gave the visitors an early lead, Berisha pulled it back to 2-1 before half time, and Davies sealed it in the 83rd minute for a 3-2 win. Three different scorers, four goals in the second half, an afternoon that tested Southampton’s composure and found it adequate. Gavin Williams’ Swansea City were more straightforward – Huggel and Mari had them 2-0 up at half time against QPR and they saw it out comfortably.

The result that nobody saw coming was St. Johnstone’s 1-0 win at Sutton United. Sheringham scored the only goal in the 40th minute and gilbert burnett’s side held on for a result that drops Sutton – managed by Daffy Duck, and last week’s draw specialist – to 13th. Sutton had begun the season drawing with Liverpool and looked like a solid mid-table prospect; this is a jolt. St. Johnstone meanwhile climb to 5th on four points.

🔍 Lincoln City are the most improved side in Group 2 this week – jumping ten places from 16th to 6th after a 2-0 home win over Livingston (Dalmonte 2′, Elyounoussi 16′). They’d lost their opener heavily. Will Hayward’s side aren’t yet in a Division 1 position, but that kind of response sets a useful tone. Livingston, meanwhile, sit 16th having failed to score in two games.

Grimsby Town remain the one unmanaged side in the league. They drew 1-1 away at Brighton and sit 15th in Group 2 on one point. The dugout at Grimsby is empty and the Supremos Circuit is keeping things ticking over, but it’s a position that needs addressing – a club drifting without direction is of no use to the group’s competitive health.

❤️ Group 3 – Port Vale and Wimbledon hit top gear; West Ham already in trouble

After last week’s dominant away win at Bristol Rovers, Andres Iglesias’s Port Vale followed up with a 1-0 home victory over Crystal Palace – Castillejo doing the damage in the 31st minute. Six points, three goals scored, none conceded. It’s a composed, efficient start from a side that looked solid from week one. Phil McCracken’s Wimbledon have matched them at the top – van Persie with both goals at home against Stockport County (2′ and 63′) for a 2-1 win, following a first-week away victory. Two clubs, six points each, already beginning to look like the group’s benchmark.

West Ham’s Lyall John had the worst week in Group 3. After a draw in week one, Colchester United came to the London Stadium and won 2-1 – Freis scored in the 7th and 49th minutes before Cottee pulled one back for West Ham in the 35th. The result drops West Ham to 11th on one point. It’s a long season, but a side expected to be competing for a top-four finish is already looking at the wrong half of the table.

💡 Colchester United’s Andrew started the season with a loss and a 0-1 goal difference after Week 1. A 2-1 win at West Ham – a side with a rating advantage – is exactly the kind of result that early seasons are made of. Colchester jump to 7th. If they can sustain this, they have a genuine chance of finishing in the top half of the group.

Stockport County – who carry the highest squad rating in Group 3 at 346 – are in 6th on three points after a win and a loss. Mike Stew’s side were beaten by Wimbledon despite the rating gap, and that tells you something about how this group is shaping up. Crystal Palace remain pointless at the foot of the table after two defeats, with a -2 goal difference and no goals scored.

⚠️ Wycombe Wanderers drew 2-2 at home against Dundee, having led 2-0 at half time. Amuzie and Benítez scored for Jifjaf’s side before Mozo and Silva both replied in the second half to take the points. Wycombe are in 12th – the kind of position that can look very different in 28 weeks depending on which way momentum goes, but conceding a two-goal lead at home is never a good sign this early.

💛 Group 4 – St Mirren’s perfect start; Everton’s squad advantage remains a mystery

The biggest story of Week 1 in Group 4 was St Mirren beating Rangers when nobody expected them to. Week 2 adds to it: David Jeffery’s side won away at Arsenal, Palsson scoring in the 91st minute to steal it 1-0, and that takes St Mirren to the top of Group 4 on six points. Arsenal’s Gaz Sinnotti has now taken one point from two games despite carrying a squad rating of 341 – the second highest in the group. St Mirren’s rating is 321. The results table doesn’t care about ratings.

Kris Bond’s Rangers, stung by last week’s opening-day defeat to St Mirren, got back to winning ways with a 1-0 home win over Torquay United – Laudrup with the only goal in the 28th minute. They’re in 8th on three points, which is fine at this stage, but the gap to the top four is already three points after two weeks. Given where they were expected to be, they’ll know the next few weeks matter.

🔍 Everton have a squad rating of 391 – comfortably the highest in the entire league across all four groups. This week they drew 1-1 at home to Burton Albion in Week 1, then beat Burton away 1-0 this week through Insigne in the 79th minute. Six of the group’s 16 clubs have four points. Everton’s king kenny is in 6th, joint on points with five others. The squad numbers don’t lie about their quality – but so far they’ve been doing the minimum. Something to watch.

Luton Town’s David Pleat has been quietly efficient – a win and a draw across the first two weeks, currently 3rd in Group 4. Angel Martinez joined from the Supremos Circuit this week for £1,324,567, and Luton were also in the running for Nolito Durán before losing that bid to Heart of Midlothian. They’re investing. Exeter City’s Mark Osborne has done the same, adding Giuliano Simeone and a Physiotherapist to the setup. Both clubs are building with purpose.

⚠️ Burton Albion have zero points from two games. Andrew Burton’s side have lost both matches and sit bottom of Group 4 on a -2 goal difference. The squad is rated 269 – the lowest in Group 4 – and the experience column (33) reflects a young, developing setup. There’s a long way to go, but the bottom four in Group 4 would mean Division 4 at the start of Season 2, and that’s a hole that’s difficult to climb out of later in the season.

🔎 The wider league picture

The score draw pool has rolled to £1,600,000 after nobody correctly predicted the 13 score draws this week. That’s a significant pot accumulating very early in the season – any manager who can call the draws in a given week is going to walk away with something substantial.

Two crowd trouble incidents made the police report this week. The televised Aberdeen vs Barnet fixture saw 57 arrests, eight officers injured and £77,848 of stadium damage. The Southend United vs Fulham match wasn’t far behind – 48 arrests, five officers injured and £79,539 of damage. Both clubs will be monitoring their supporter conduct closely after that.

🔍 The best attacking squads in the league this week are headed by Luton Town, Everton and Exeter City. Everton’s overall squad strength is the highest in the league but their attacking firepower ranking (2nd) hasn’t translated to goals yet. Luton have both the best attack and a mid-table position that flatters their potential. If either side finds their rhythm, they could run away with their group.

Coventry City and Liverpool both invested in Skills Coaches this week – Tom Lippmann joining Coventry for £401,009 and Joao Maia to Liverpool for £502,601. Sheffield Wednesday picked up a Physiotherapist in Thibault Gaillard for £423,112 after a competitive ten-way bidding process. The NPM market is busy at this stage of Season 1, with managers understanding that building the right backroom staff early is just as important as squad depth.

👋 Community and new arrivals

A warm welcome to two new managers joining the Legend of La Rochelle this week. David Griffiths takes charge at Brighton & Hove Albion in Group 2 – a club that has been running without a manager since launch and will now finally have someone directing things from the dugout. The Supremos Circuit’s brief stint in charge is over, and the group will be better for having another managed side in it. Liam1 also joins as the new manager of Heart of Midlothian in Group 3, where the club currently sit 5th with a win and a draw to show from their opening two games. A solid platform to build from.

Grimsby Town in Group 2 remain without a manager despite last week’s departure of the previous incumbent. The dugout at Blundell Park is vacant, and it’s worth noting that the club sit 15th in the group table. New management arriving sooner rather than later would benefit everyone in Group 2.